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Daniyal Gilani, a spokesman for PIA, has confirmed that 42 passengers and five crew members were killed in Wednesday's crash, reducing the number from 48.

"There are no survivors. All passengers and members of crew are dead," Azam Sehgal, the PIA chariman told a news conference at Islamabad airport.

Mr Sehgal also confirmed the plane's black box recorder had been found.

Saigol said the ATR-42 aircraft had undergone regular maintenance and had in October passed an "A-check" certification, conducted after every 500 hours of flight operations.

"I think that there was no technical error or human error ... obviously there will be a proper investigation," he said.

Junaid Sarwar, a hospital spokesman in the north-western city of Abbottabad, said only five bodies had been identified as the remains of others were burned so badly that the National Database and Registration Authority could not identify them.

"We are sending body parts of all the passengers to Islamabad for DNA tests," he said.